Expert warns cause of Glasgow School of Art fire may never be determined if building is demolished

THE cause of the fire at the Glasgow School of Art will never be determined if the building is demolished, an expert warned yesterday.

Engineers have warned parts of the iconic building are highly unstable since it caught fire last month, and fire chiefs have said they have not even been able to set foot inside the building.

One senior specialist told The Sunday Post that assurances from officials about finding the cause of the fire may have been “too enthusiastic” and said if physical evidence is lost during partial or complete demolition then the cause may never be confirmed.

He also said the investigation could take more than a year to complete, due to the complexity of the fire, its impact on more than one building and the location of the site in Glasgow city centre.

At least a dozen private forensic investigation firms are believed to be involved in the probe representing interested parties, which could include contractors, landlords, business owners and insurers.

Assistant Chief Officer David McGown, of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, said in the days following the massive blaze that his team would identify the fire’s cause and origin, and he continues to reiterate this is what they are working towards.

He also called for neighbours and onlookers to send any footage or images of the burning building to help with their investigation.

He remains confident his team are “well on the way to finding out” the cause, and added: “That will be the final point of our investigation. It is going to be formidable, complex and lengthy.

“In the last two weeks we have gathered a significant amount of information from witness statements, CCTV images and footage and assistant from other partners.

“We are well on our way to finding out, and the determination on the location and the specific cause will come out in that final report.”

However, a senior fire investigator told The Sunday Post: “Given the scale of the incident, there is a potential that we will never get to the bottom of what started the fire. That’s going to be dictated by safety issues, and any demolition, controlled or otherwise, will really influence exactly where anybody gets to.

“Whilst investigators might be able to get so far on documentary evidence, unless they get the physical evidence from inside the building, they can never prove directly how the fire started.”

He added that the investigation would “definitely take longer” than the 2014 fire, and said: “There are a lot of dimensions to this particular investigation. One of the chief officers said he could guarantee we would get to the bottom of it and identify the cause. That was a bit too enthusiastic.

“We’re certainly looking at several months, a year even, to investigate fully.”

Glasgow City Council’s building control chiefs said the Mackintosh building had moved six inches since the fire broke out on June 15, and added it would have to be at least partially dismantled as a matter of urgency.

Bricks removed from the site are to be put aside in case it is ever rebuilt, with estimated costs of the project starting at £100 million.

A Glasgow School of Art spokeswoman said: “The absolute priority is making the Mackintosh Building safe so that people can return to their houses and businesses as soon as possible. That will be the focus of the managed dismantling of sections that have been highlighted as dangerous.”